Fighting Flour with Flour
Llibertat! Ous! Freedom! Eggs!
Have you ever wanted to throw an egg at your neighbor? What about unleash a fire extinguisher full of flour? Then you should join the festival of els enfarinats, "the floured ones", a battle held in a little town called Ibi, in Alacant. A mock coup is staged, on the same day as the Day of the Innocents, which I wrote about in a previous post.
The Enfarinats themselves are a small group, usually families and relatives that have participated before, so they are well-known in the city. They wear mock military uniforms and take over the city. Eventually, a battle takes place near the townhall. The only weapons that can be carried are flour, eggs, and firecrackers (because of course there are firecrackers...it is València, after all). Some carry fire extinguishers filled with flour. The firecrackers are allowed after the first hour.
This enfarinat isn't taking shit from anyone.
The Enfarinats take over the town and seize the mace of the mayor (created specifically for this festival) and make ridiculous and silly laws. If the laws are not obeyed, the people go to "jail" and pay a fine. People know what the laws will be the night before, and those who oppose the laws will go to "fight" the Enfarinats with their "weapons". Hundreds of kilos of flour and hundreds of eggs are used in the battle. Although the Enfarinats are a small group, anyone can join the Opposition.
The battle lasts about an hour, and all money raised is donated to local senior citizen's charity. Many shops and people participate in the event. Later that evening, with the mock mayor's permission, a traditional dance called the Dançá takes place.